Shattered Lives
by Cinderfire16
Summary: If Cinderpelt had something to live for. Inspired by KaylieTheCat's Cinderpelt amv Time of Dying video and portions of 3Hawkmask's 800-900 subbies video. I don't own them or Warriors and I never will. (But go check them out! They're awesome!)
1. Prologue: Nightly Meetings

**This is generally going to have short chapters and I'm probably going to upload them all today just to get it over with. I'm not really good at patience when it comes to updating so... yeah. I hope you enjoy the story!**

Shattered Lives

She glanced up at the stars in dismay. She knew medicine cats weren't supposed to fall in love, but she'd really had no choice in the matter. Besides, she'd met him long before she became one. Surely StarClan could overlook that…

A rustle in the bushes made the dark grey she-cat leap to her paws with bared fangs and unsheathed claws. She relaxed when his lean, tabby form slipped into view. They were safe.

"What's wrong?" He wondered. She'd told him about life in the Clans the first time they'd met, so he knew the risk that came with such forbidden love.

"Nothing," She sighed. "I thought you were someone else."

"Who would be out at this time of night?"

"Patrol." She mumbled sullenly.

"You're not just worried about us being found out."

"I'm a medicine cat now, Storm. I hope StarClan will overlook the fact that we've been together long before my leg was crushed, but I don't know…"

"You're not the first to break the code, and I'm sure you won't be the last. If we do get found out, I'll take care of you no matter what you choose."

"Thank you… you know I'll always love you."

"Of course." The grey tom purred. "Who knows? Maybe StarClan will let us walk the same skies."

"Hopefully." Cinderpelt really did hope that she'd see him in StarClan. At least then her death would be worth it.

**Review please!**


	2. They definitely know

**Welcome back to another chapter of Shattered Lives! Thank you, Feathersky1357 for your lovely review. I'm glad you like it so far. Can I call you Feathersky? Or Feather? Feather is an awesome name! So... yeah, I'm done rambling. Enjoy!**

Shattered Lives

"Your apprentice needs to stick to her duties, Yellowfang." A pale grey she-cat growled from her place beside her own apprentice, and they were watching the young ThunderClan cat from the stars.

"She was right about knowing him before she became a medicine cat. Why should she cut off all ties for a destiny she was never meant to have?" A blue-grey she-cat with a white muzzle and fierce blue eyes padded up to join them at the pool.

"She is supposed to be loyal to StarClan!" The pale grey she-cat spat. "Not off meeting some rogue who barely believes in us!"

"If you recall their previous words, Sagewhisker, there is no doubt in his mind that we exist. When he first heard of us, he looked to the stars for guidance, where his mother sits among us, and he still does."

"It's bad enough she's breaking the code of the medicine cats! She's breaking the warrior code as well!"

"Nothing terrible will come of it… he loves her too much to let anything happen. He'd die for her, I can feel it." A pale white tom sighed. Whitestorm had taken to watching over the grey medicine cat as though she were his own kit, although he still had three of his own to watch over. She interested him, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

"I sense something tragic will happen. Mark my words, you fools, nothing good will come of this."

**I don't know why, but I could definitely see Whitestorm being one of the cats to guide her paws every step of the way. Right up there with Yellowfang and Silverstream. Bluestar didn't have as much of an important role other than being the leader. So... this is StarClan as they watch over some of their descendants. Review... Please?**


	3. For the First Time

**New Chapter! I'm growing to like this story. but I can't wait for your reactions at the end... but I promised myself N****O SPOILERS**** so here we go...**

Shattered Lives

She wasn't supposed to leave the camp, and she knew that, but she was bored and no one would miss her. It's not like she could do anything useful. Great StarClan, she couldn't wait to be an apprentice! She wouldn't go far and she was pretty sure she could find help if she got lost. She'd be fine… only she'd been sniffing and walking for a long time and she couldn't pick up any familiar scents at _all_ and she was cold and maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.

"I'm a terrible tracker." She scowled, scuffing the ground with an unsheathed paw.

"I'm sure you'll get better at it." She yelped and got to her paws, unsheathing tiny claws and bushing up her fur so she looked twice her size, which for a kit, wasn't much.

"Show yourself, intruder! You're on ThunderClan land!"

The bushes rustled and a grey tom with white paws stepped out. He was small, like her, and she instantly decided that he was no threat. He actually looked like another kit, and someone her age would be nice to play with. Of course she had Brackenkit but he was always so serious. She could tell that her brother would make a great leader one day, but for now, she wanted someone to play with.

"Hi, I'm Storm. What's your name?"

"You have a weird name. Where's the rest of it?"

"What do you mean? My mother named me Storm."

"Oh. Okay. Well my mother named me Cinderkit. I'm a ThunderClan cat. I'll be an apprentice soon, and I'll get a mentor who's gonna train me to be a warrior."

"That sounds cool! But…"

"What?"

"What do warriors do?"

"They make sure we all get fresh-kill and that the other Clans don't try to take our stuff."

"There are other Clans?"

"There's WindClan and RiverClan and ShadowClan is the ickiest of all. They live in a pine forest and they eat frogs!"

"What about the other Clans?"

RiverClan mostly eats fish and WindClan have to be fast so they can chase rabbits."

"What does your Clan eat?"

"Mice and squirrels, so don't hunt here or the warriors will claw you alive!"

"R-really?!" Storm squeaked.

"Really. They fight so we don't have to. But… I guess we'd take you in since you're just a kit."

"Why? No one else cares that I'm a kit. Except for my mother, but she always worries."

"Warriors don't hurt kits, silly. It's against the code!"

"The code?"

"It's how we live. Under StarClan."

"Is StarClan another Clan?"

"They're the stars, furball! StarClan is where cats go when they die."

"Oh. That sounds really cool! Can we meet them?"

"Only medicine cats can. They help us when we're sick or hurt and they can talk to StarClan."

"I think I'd like to be a medicine cat."

"Maybe you'll find a Clan of your own."

"Maybe. It sounds really great."

"Storm!" A she-cat's far-off screech cut their talk short.

"That's my mother. I have to go."

"Will I see you again?"

"Maybe, if I can come back. Hey, why don't we meet when the moon is halfway full? We can talk and you can tell me more about Clan life and I can tell you about my life."

"Sounds great. Half moon it is."

"Bye Cinderkit."

"Bye Storm."

**Their first meeting! I went with a bit of what I perceived Cinderpelt to be as a younger cat because nothing was really out there so I'm sorry if they seem a bit OOC. Questions? **


	4. The Proposal

Shattered Lives

True to their word, they met every half moon at that exact spot to talk about their lives. Cinderkit grew into Cinderpaw and Storm could tell she adored her mentor. Meanwhile, Storm's mother had died and he was alone.

"I caught prey on my first try. You should have seen the look on Fireheart's face. I thought he was going to burst." The grey apprentice fell over laughing and the darker-furred tom snickered along.

"Hey, I have an idea!"

"What?"

"Why don't you join ThunderClan?"

"Join ThunderClan? Like stay with a whole bunch of cats who probably won't even like me?"

"Plenty of cats like Fireheart and he was a kittypet. Besides, we won't have to teach you how to hunt or anything because you already know how. We could always use some extra paws around and you're just the cat I think we need."

"No offence, Cinderpaw, but I don't think every cat will like me just because I can hunt."

"It would take some getting used to but I'm not the only cat who wants you around. Plenty of cats were complaining about how hard leafbare is and more cats means more prey gets caught and more protection from other Clans."

"And another mouth to feed. I'm sorry, Cinderpaw. You're great but I can't be around a lot of cats yet. I'm used to being on my own…"

"It's okay. Just know that you can join anytime and we can still meet up. Nothing has to change."

"Thanks."

"I think we should get going."

"See you next half moon?"

"Yeah. Good luck, Storm."

"May StarClan light your path, Cinderpaw."

They touched noses and he watched her disappear into the trees before loping out of the forest, his head in the clouds and his paws lighter than air. He wouldn't mind being with Cinderpaw if there weren't so many cats…

* * *

"I can't see you anymore." Cinderpaw had been well on her way to becoming a warrior before Tigerclaw had tried to kill Bluestar. Storm flinched when he saw her mangled leg.

"You didn't have to come… I would have understood."

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

"But you can't be a warrior anymore, can you."

"I'm going to be Yellowfang's apprentice."

"She's the medicine cat?"

"Yes. It's the only way I can help my Clan."

"Okay… you can still walk, can't you?"

"Well obviously, furball." She purred, swatting at his ears. "But the half moon is when medicine cats meet to share tongues with StarClan and I'll be busy. I might not be able to see you all the time and I don't want you to feel like we're not friends anymore but-."

"It's okay, I get it. I hope you get to help your Clan."

"We still have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"Medicine cats can't take a mate. It would distract them from treating the Clan equally, according to the Code."

"Makes sense. So… do we stop meeting?"

"You could still join the Clan."

"I will, I promised I would… just not yet."

"It's okay… if you find someone else. You could stay with them."

"What?! No! Cinderpaw, it's not that I don't like you. I just… there was this vicious group of cats called BloodClan… they're the reason my mother's dead."

"Oh… you think the Clans will be like BloodClan? We're not. We don't kill others unless we have to, like it's a matter of life or death. Most of our battles only leave injured, but we try to make sure that no one really dies. The medicine cats even work together, so even if there's conflict with two Clans the medicine cats help eachother out. So do the Clans in times of peace. Even ShadowClan can be nice at times. I've heard stories where they've helped in the past. It just hasn't happened for a while."

"I… I'll think about it."

"I won't hold it against you if you don't want to. BloodClan sounds terrible."

"Thank you, Cinderpaw. Good luck with being a medicine cat."

May StarClan light your path, Storm." She murmured as she watched him leave.


	5. Making Choices

**I hope you enjoy it! The chapter is like this for a reason. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. S'mores anyone?**

**Disclaimer: I am not Erin Hunter... or one of the four women who made up Erin Hunter. **

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?!" A small dark brown tom with amber eyes and long claws demanded. It had been more than a few moons since he'd been to see Cinderpaw and he'd finally decided to give it a shot. She'd been right about being busy. They didn't get to see eachother that often and he desperately hoped that she was okay.

"Bramblepaw!" A dark orange tom with green eyes bounded over to them. "What are you doing?!"

"He's an intruder!"

"You wait for me, Bramblepaw. You can't just go off on your own like that. This cat could have ripped you apart before you even opened your mouth."

"But-!"

"He's right. Bramblepaw, is it?"

"So what are you doing on our territory?"

"I wish to join your Clan."

The orange tom debated.

"You've caught us at a bad time, I'm afraid. There will be a great battle tomorrow. I can't put you through that on your first day. Are you sure you want to join us?"

"If what you say is true then I'm sure you could use the extra paws."

"Very well then, stranger. Fight with us at your own risk."

"Gladly."

"I'm Firestar, by the way,"

"My name is Storm." They chatted lightly as Firestar and Bramblepaw led he way to the camp.

"Welcome to ThunderClan."

* * *

Cats were everywhere. By the food pile, scattered around the clearing, near what he assumed would be dens, talking and laughing and… now they were staring. Great.

"StarClan give me strength." He muttered.

Firestar seemed shocked by his words and Storm realized that they didn't know about his meetings with Cinderpaw.

Firestar didn't bother with the customary call, because everyone was waiting to see who the newcomer was.

"Cats of ThunderClan, we have a big day to prepare for and this tom wishes to aid us in our fight. If he survives then we will welcome him as a true member of ThunderClan but for now, treat him as you would any other Clanmate."

The ginger tom loped into his den, followed by a tan she-cat who he assumed to be the leader's mate.

Welcome to ThunderClan.

"What's your name?" The brown apprentice from earlier asked.

"Storm." He told the young tom.

"Firestar said you can sleep in the medicine clearing. Follow me."

* * *

He rose to his paws and trotted after the grey apprentice. He noticed many eyes on him, but two stuck out in particular. One belonged to a golden she-cat whose glare led him to believe that she was the brown tom's mother, as his own mother had given that same glare to whoever dared to pass them. Another belonged to a grey she-cat with a twisted leg and blue eyes who smelled of herbs.

"Thank you, Bramblepaw. I can handle Storm from here."

"You took your time," ThunderClan's medicine cat snorted.

"I had to think on it, but I'm here now. What's going on? Firestar mentioned a battle, against who?"

Cinderpelt hesitated.

"Against who?"

"BloodClan. Tigerclaw, the cat who tried to kill our leader, Bluestar, he united two of our Clans, ShadowClan and RiverClan, calls it TigerClan."

"After himself." The grey tom growled. "Is he the one who brought BloodClan into the forest?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't know what he's unleashed on this place. It doesn't matter if there are she-cats who are nursing kits, it doesn't matter if the cat is just out of the nursery. BloodClan is vicious and unless you have allies, ThunderClan will be crushed."

"Tigerclaw died yesterday. Scourge killed him."

"Serves him right, the filthy cat. He's the one who led the dog pack? And killed all those other cats?"

"Yes."

"How ironic. I thought he was a leader or something?"

"Scourge took all nine of his lives with one move."

"StarClan willed that. Those lives weren't given by them and a true leader wouldn't have to die so gruesomely."

"What makes you say that?"

"Simple. Tigerclaw is evil."

* * *

LionClan v. BloodClan and the forest cats won, Storm mused, but at a terrible price… he watched as the living cats carried their dead. It wasn't much for ThunderClan, only Whitestorm had died, but ShadowClan and RiverClan would need to rebuild. ThunderClan got lucky.

* * *

A few moons later and Firestar had disappeared with Sandstorm. Greystripe stepped up for their leader and many thought that the great ginger tom had abandoned the Clan as Pinestar had many seasons ago. It was hard to explain how Firestar and his mate just up and left to the Gathering cats but they eventually accepted Greystripe's temporary leader status. He made sure nothing changed, like Firestar would have wanted.

* * *

Next came the Great Journey. He had watched Firestar's two kits grow into the rambunctious and thoughtful apprentices they were known as under the guidance of Dustpelt and Cinderpelt respectively, and they couldn't have turned out better. He didn't blame them for running away when they had the chance. Squirrelpaw was being tormented along with Firestar's own apprentice, Brambleclaw, for something they hadn't even done, according to Cinderpelt. They had every right to leave. The problem was that they'd come back. Sleek and well-fed with a RiverClan cat in tow. Apparently they'd been on quite the journey and now the Clans had to retrace their pawsteps or starve to death from lack of prey or be torn apart like the earth was by monsters or be captured by twolegs to live miserable lives as kittypets. Stormwhisker could only imagine the shock the others must be going through. He wouldn't have believed it himself if the truth wasn't staring him in the face. He hoped the others came to that conclusion as quickly as he did. Then again, maybe not. This was all they had known. He, however, was used to change.

As the Journey cats had predicted, the forest was torn apart. ShadowClan was the last Clan to convince and the destruction of their camp did that for them.

**So... any questions? Review please?! *runs away before readers can pelt her with angry warrior cats.***


End file.
